Today, more and more companies are relying on the help of at-home workers (AHWs) to get their jobs done. New statistics demonstrate a sharp rise in telecommuting, remote work, and virtual teams has made it easier for businesses to hire people who can work from home or another remote location. 

In fact, the global market for AHWs is expected to hit $32 billion by 2025. That’s up from just $8 billion in 2016. Those who work from home often have access to a company’s equipment as part of their job description. This trend has led many businesses to make it easy for employees that need this type of access to return those types of assets with minimal hassle. Here’s what you should know about making it easy for at home workers to return company owned equipment:

What Is Company-Owned Equipment?

When a company owns the equipment its employees use, it’s known as company-owned equipment or COE. This can include everything from computers, laptops, and printers to specialized tools and machines like a forklift or machine press. Many companies either lease or own the equipment they use to complete their jobs. This can make it easier for a business to ensure that the equipment is available when its employees need it. This also makes it easier to keep track of the items employees need to do their jobs. COE can be a mixed blessing for home-based workers. While it’s nice to know that you have access to the equipment you need to do your job, it can also make it harder to return the items when you no longer need them.

Make Equipment Easy to Find and Track

If your employees will be using company-owned equipment, make sure it’s easy for them to find what they need. For example, if the company owns one hundred laptops, using a barcode tracking system in combination with the right return management solution can help better track and facilitate smoother exchanges and returns for onboarding, offboarding and maintenance. For example, we make a popular equipment return software that’s used by companies nationwide to streamline equipment recovery and return. 

An inventory system can also make it easier to track COE, as well as other assets. Make sure employees know who to contact if they need to borrow company-owned equipment. This includes information like how to request it, where to find it, or who to call to get it. You may also want to consider tracking company-owned equipment with GPS systems. This can make it easier to see where the items are, as well as make it easier to track their condition.

Make It Easy for At Home Workers to Return Equipment

When people use company-owned equipment, it’s important that they return it promptly when they finish using it. This can include items like computers, printers, tools, and more. There are a few ways you can make it easier to return these items, including options to automate the return of company-owned equipment from employees. 

Make sure equipment is easy to return and track. For example, implement a policy that requires employees to return equipment to a central location (or use software like ReadyCloud, which lets employees simply drop the equipment off at any UPS Store). This can make it easier to keep track of everything and return it promptly when it’s no longer needed.

Conclusion

When it comes to making it easy for at home workers to return company-owned equipment, there are a few things you can do. By ensuring that your company equipment is easy to find and track, as well as making it easy for employees to return it when they’re done using it, have been offboarded or need to update, upgrade or maintain it, you can protect your valuable investment for years to come.